2004 Cubs post-mortem

What went wrong?

The 2004 Cubs season is officially over. 89-73 was the final record—one game better than in 2003 but about 6 or 7 wins less than they should have had, injuries or not. Whereas the 2003 club showed heart and played well down the stretch, this year's incarnation folded against some of the worst teams in baseball. The season was filled with whining, blown saves, poor managing, slumps, poor execution and, most of all, excuses.

I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for this team to have missed the playoffs. Even with all the injuries, whining, and sloppy play, we could have won the wild card with just 3 more wins in the last week or so (against the Mets and Reds). But even had we gotten to the playoffs, I doubt we would have made it past the first round. It is likely that our weaknesses would have come back to bite us in the ass. Here's what I'm talking about:

• We had perhaps the most one-dimensional offense I've ever seen. We hit a lot of home runs but failed to do the kind of things that win close games (which is a must come playoff time). Whenever I watched a game where the wind was blowing in at Wrigley, I knew the pitchers better throw a shutout because we'd be lucky to get 2 runs that day. We had little speed, couldn't run the basepaths, had trouble hitting with men in scoring position, struck out too much, didn't show enough patience, etc...
• While the starting staff was solid for the most part, the bullpen was entirely too inconsistent. Sure, there were a few great stretches for LaTroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth, Jon Leicester, Kent Mercker, Mike Remlinger and company, but far more often these guys were in the news for blowing a lead. Hawkins is clearly not cut out to be a closer (though I think he is still a very good setup man).

What next?

1. Let all the whiners go, specifically Moises Alou, Todd Walker, and Kent Mercker.
2. Have Sammy Sosa get his head examined to find out what his problem is.
3. Sign Carlos Beltran, who tears it up in Wrigley Field. Let him patrol right field, with Sammy moving to left.
4. Sign Armando Benitez to be the closer, move LaTroy back to the setup role, and pick up another solid late-inning reliever for some depth.
5. Resign Nomar if it can be done relatively cheap, otherwise look elsewhere for a shortstop.
6. Sign a serviceable, healthy second baseman.

Dusty and Moises will be happy

It looks like Chip Caray and Steve Stone are going to be hitting the road. According to the Chicago Tribune, Caray is close to accepting a deal with the Atlanta Braves, which makes Stone's already precarious situation even more dicey. The crybabies on the Cubs' roster don't want him back (Dusty Baker has already said he won't participate in post-game interviews with Stone next year) and, with Caray leaving, I would not be surprised to see if Stone is shown the door in favor of an entirely new broadcast team.

This is, of course, a shame. I liked Chip and Steve and will miss their commentary and conversation. Okay, so Chip's kind of a dork, but the two of them had a good chemistry together. Stone, in particular, is a great analyst and I love the fact that he's not afraid to get on the players when they do stupid things. Unfortunately, there's nothing much Cubs fans can do other than sit back and see how things shake out.

Final thoughts

While some of my thoughts and recommendations may change in the five months before spring training starts next March, I think most of what I've said is right on track. Cubs fans have every reason to be optimistic about 2005. Barring injuries, we'll have a healthy Mark Prior (who was GREAT in September), a healthy Kerry Wood, a mature and dominant Carlos Zambrano, and the professor, Greg Maddux, in our starting rotation. (We'll probably fill the fifth spot with Ryan Dempster, who should be improved as he gets farther and farther away from his Tommy John's surgery.)

I'm assuming that the bullpen problems will be addressed in some way or another, and that the lineup will more balanced. If these changes are made and the Cubs can avoid injuries and stay focused, they will win the division next year. We've got a long way to go before then, however, so in the meantime let's enjoy the next month of peace after the last 6 months on the 2004 Chicago Cubs roller-coaster.